40 Strategy Blog

Is your team accidentally leaking company data into ChatGPT right now? In this episode of the Measure Success Podcast, I sit down with Chris Carter, Chairman and CEO of Approyo, to discuss the hidden risks of AI data privacy, the difference between open and closed AI systems, and how one employee's mistake led him to build a tool used across seven retail organizations. Episode highlights: • The 22-tab Excel file that almost exposed an entire company's 401k and PII data to ChatGPT • Why Chris built a browser extension to stop unsafe AI uploads in 72 hours • Open vs. closed AI systems, and why most people never check their settings • The "three-part human, one-part AI" framework for validating AI output • How Chris measures success in business and in his personal life Watch the full episode and ask yourself: what is my team uploading into AI tools that they shouldn't be? Connect with Chris: LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-carter-885159/ ...

Think your book is going to sell itself? The average self-published title sells fewer than 50 copies. In this episode of the Measure Success Podcast, I sit down with Stephanie Chandler, founder of the Nonfiction Authors Association and author of The Nonfiction Book Marketing and Launch Plan, to discuss the brutal realities of book marketing, why AI should never write your book, and how authors actually turn their books into business growth. In this conversation: • Why Stephanie passed out in a Las Vegas casino and what it taught her about walking away from a career she hated • The hard truth about book sales: less than 1% of authors ever see real bookstore distribution, and 70% of all book sales now happen through Amazon • Why audiobooks are the fastest-growing format in publishing and what that means if yours isn't in one • The "community of influence" exercise every author should run before their book launches • Why Stephanie won't touch AI-written books and ...

Why do 85% of employees have no idea what their company's strategy actually is? In this episode of the Measure Success Podcast, I sit down with Evan Campbell, a former Green Beret and seasoned technology executive who founded Chinook Ranch Consulting, to discuss why most strategies fail, the real difference between OKRs and old-school MBOs, and what it actually takes to get a strategy executed instead of just written down. Episode highlights: • Why only about 20% of big consulting firms' strategies actually get implemented • The three phases of strategy: formulation, deployment, and execution  • What separates an effective OKR from an old-school MBO • Why quarterly check-ins let strategy quietly decay • How Evan went from freezing on a cell tower to two IPOs to founding his own consulting firm Watch the full episode and ask yourself: could your team repeat your company's strategic objectives back to you right now? Connect with Evan: LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin....

Are you still selling the way you did in 2022? Frank Sondors says that's why you're falling behind. In this episode of the Measure Success Podcast, I sit down with Frank Sondors, co-founder and CEO of Salesforge, to talk about how his company went from $3M in year one to running 10 AI agents across its go-to-market team, why the best salespeople are the ones adopting AI fastest, and what's actually breaking sales outreach today. Episode highlights: • How Frank and two co-founders took Salesforge to $3M in their first year • Running 10 AI agents — including "Agent Frank," an AI SDR modeled after himself • Why 60% of any sales team is what Frank calls "dead wood," and what separates the rest • The software compound model: scaling revenue without scaling headcount • Solving email deliverability problems that quietly kill outbound campaigns Watch the full episode and ask yourself: Are you still using the same sales playbook you had in 2022? Connect w...

Most people build their financial plan backward. In this episode of the Measure Success Podcast, I sit down with Mando Sallavanti, CFP, certified exit planning advisor and founder of Freedom Path Wealth, to discuss why goals have to come before tactics, how to give yourself permission to actually spend the money you worked for, and what really changes a client's behavior. We cover: • Why the order is goals, then plan, then tactic — and what breaks when you flip it • Level one goals versus level two goals, and why most people stop at level one • The 4% rule, and why people with millions still feel scared to spend • Never letting the tax tail wag the dog — Section 179, cost segregation, and deferrals • How Mando built 50,000+ LinkedIn followers one relationship at a time Watch the full episode and ask yourself: are you choosing tactics, or working toward a goal? Connect with Mando: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallavanti/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mando.s...

Private equity wants to buy you before you know what you're worth. In this episode of the Measure Success Podcast, I sit down with Tom Bradbury, founder and CEO of Broad-Gauge, an execution risk intelligence platform, to discuss how to prepare your business for a sale, why execution risk is the earliest warning sign leaders miss, and how to de-risk before you ever hire an investment banker. We cover: • Why you should get sale-ready before you hire an investment banker • What a SIM and a quality of earnings report actually do to your price • Why roughly 70% of business owners are unhappy after they sell • Execution risk as the earliest signal — before KPIs sag or engagement drops • How a 15-year-old's honest question reshaped an entire business If you plan to sell your business someday, watch this before you take a single meeting. Watch now and start building a business that's ready. Connect with Tom: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaspbradbury/ Websit...